City comparison
Austin, TX is about 800 miles (1,300 km) from Urbandale, IA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,000 miles, or about 17 hours behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Austin, TX to Urbandale, IA takes about 1 h 38 min, covering roughly 800 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Austin has a population of 958,202, vs 45,591 in Urbandale — about 21.0× larger by population. By land area, Austin covers about 325 sq mi vs 23 sq mi for Urbandale.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Austin | Urbandale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,549/mo | $1,108/mo | 39.8% higher in Austin |
| Median home value | $461,500 | $298,500 | 54.6% higher in Austin |
| Median household income | $86,556 | $111,888 | 29.3% higher in Urbandale |
| Groceries index | 94.2 | 94.0 | ≈ equal (Austin slightly higher) |
| Utilities index | 83.2 | 85.2 | 2.5% higher in Urbandale |
| Transportation index | 96.6 | 93.3 | 3.6% higher in Austin |
| Healthcare index | 96.1 | 93.5 | 2.8% higher in Austin |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Austin, you'd need $84,877 in Urbandale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Urbandale, IA is about 15.1% cheaper overall than Austin, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 42% higher in Austin than in Urbandale. If you earn $80,000 in Austin, you'd need about $67,901 in Urbandale to keep the same standard of living.